Thank you for writing regarding gun control in Colorado. This is an important subject, and we appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts and concerns.

Throughout the past seven months in Colorado and across the nation, we have experienced an unprecedented level of tragedy due to gun violence. (Unprecedented? Really? Not like, say, any time in WWII?) The shooting that occurred in Aurora on the night of July 20th is an event that will remain in our hearts and minds forever. (Because we all like to dwell on horrible things.) And while our lives will never be the same again, these experiences showed the strength and resilience of individuals to come together as a community. Now, as a community, we must come together to discuss ways we can prevent similar tragedies in the future. (Sure, if by “discuss” you mean “RAM THROUGH WITHOUT THINKING,” I find nothing wrong with that statement.)

Your letter is one of thousands we have received expressing sympathy and sharing your opinions on everything from banning assault weapons, to increasing mental health availability, to the rights of citizens to carry concealed weapons. The diversity of opinions on how best to address this issue is proof positive that we should not shy away from this discussion. (See previous statement about “RAMMING THROUGH WITHOUT THINKING) We are confident that through thoughtful and mindful debate we can find reasonable solutions that respect the rights of law-abiding Coloradans to own firearms while maintaining the health and safety of our communities. (You know, I don’t remember hearing any discussion of respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. AT ALL.)

This is a multifaceted issue and part of this dialogue should focus on mental health access. So, we have asked the Colorado General Assembly to support a comprehensive overhaul of our state’s mental health system so we can better identify and help people who are a threat to themselves and others. (OOOOOooooOOOO, nice card trick! You almost got me that time! Too bad none of 4 big bills being forced down my throat right now have anything to do with mental health, or else you might have made me believe you!)

Once again, thank you for your input, and for taking the time to contact our office. We will keep your thoughts in mind as we move forward. (Yeah, right)

Sincerely,

Office of Governor John W. Hickenlooper

There you have it. We are having a discussion about mental health that involves demonizing every single law-abiding gun owner, driving out roughly 1000 jobs and a $40 million company, increasing the amount of “instant” background checks done by an agency that’s already about two weeks behind, and in general making everyone’s life harder and more dangerous. Go Democrats!